The Other Side
by Deadderson
Summary: His cat was missing, but little did he know that finding him would be the best thing ever.
1. WIndow Washer

That damn cat.

That damn, lovable, awesome, bad ass cat that he was so proud of, that he practically bragged about nearly every single day to his coworkers, was gone.

Poof, right out the window, like the black shadow he was. And Gajeel was close to tearing his hair out just trying to find the cat on his own. Two weeks had passed and he was terrified that Pantherlily was dead, in a shelter, or worse; in a little kid's bedroom with a pink as fuck bow around his neck. Pink was not the cat's style, and he was worried that if the cat retaliated, he would end up in a shelter.

Still, it was nerve wracking as the days went by, with not a single hit from the local shelters or anyone calling from the flyers he put up. 'Who even does that anymore anyways?' He thought, grumbling under his breath as he hooked up the safety line to the building. He should've just stuck with Facebook and hoped for the best. But then again, he didn't use the site as much as some people he knew, and hated when his friends urged him to go on it more. It was a waste of time and energy when he had barely any for a social life, let alone killing time on the net. He was better off doing his own thing, like looking for his cat.

He sighed as he began scaling the building, dragging the sponge and squeegee over the glass panes that overlooked the busy city beneath. Window washing was a part time deal that his uncle had saddled him with, mostly to keep an eye on his idiotic and rather destructive cousin, Natsu. The guy meant well, he supposed, but had far more fun swinging than cleaning, causing more mayhem and shenanigans than they could handle. Thus far, only Gajeel had managed to make the situation slightly less of a hazard for them, mostly by promising him to spar once they were on the ground and off the clock. Which seemed to have worked so far; there were fewer accidents now than then.

Natsu had even helped with the search for his cat, declaring that there was no replacing such a friend like his cat, touching the normally surly man. Yet, another day had passed and there was still no sign of the asshole. He bit his lip as he descended another level, worry beginning to gnaw at the back of his brain. What if he wasn't alright?

A tap on the glass startled him, making him almost drop his sponge. He cursed as he whipped to the glass, only to nearly drop his jaw.

A girl waved at him from the other side, grinning mischievously as he recovered, scowling at her as he pointed at the ground then shook his finger at her. She ducked her head bashfully, mouthing the word "sorry" as she bit her lip. He shook his head as she turned back to her apartment and whatever she had been doing. He had to admit, he mused as he stared after her retreating figure, that this job had its good days along with the bad days. She was cute, and a bit of a distraction with her short, wild sky blue hair and short petite body. Washing her windows was definitely the highlight of his life, despite the subtle teasing and jabs from others about her.

As cute as she was, he still had to focus on finding his cat. It was getting too depressing at home not seeing the cat or hearing his annoying meows for food. And it was worse at nights when he couldn't feel the tiny weight curling up on his feet in bed, purring lightly after spending minutes kneading the blankets before settling down. He sighed as he descended another level, almost done with the blue haired girl's apartment, vaguely registering the black ball of fuzz that stared at him.

He was in the middle of dragging the squeegee across the plane when he did a double take, staring wide eyed at the cat. Sure enough, there was the familiar scar that crossed the cat's brow and scraggly looking whiskers. This time, his jaw did drop, and indignant rage pooled in his gut as he pointed at the cat.

" _ **YOU ASSHOLE!**_ "

If his roar didn't shake the foundation of the building, the verbal spew that erupted from his mouth would have. He cursed, ranted and raved, waving his arms almost comically as the cat sat calmly, watching him in a bemused fashion. Something behind the cat startled him, and he turned to flee as the girl approached the windows again, her eyes wide with curiosity.

' _Great, just great_ ,' he thought, snapping his mouth shut and blushing. He pointed at the cat, who looked at him from behind a chair and shouted as loud as he could, "That's my cat!"

She blinked, confusion crossing her face as she turned to Pantherlily, then back again. He groaned when she whirled and walked to a table, pulling a piece of paper out of a pile nearby. He glared at the cat as it returned to the window, bunting the glass as smugly as you please.

"Just you wait till I get you home, you little butt," he said, poking the glass. He couldn't quite believe it, his cat was alive and well. It was somewhat of a shock that he was here of all places, tucked away in the girl's apartment as if he had planned it. Maybe he had, the cat was far more clever than he appeared. But if the girl had taken him in, then maybe she was worth more than a few wistful stares and waves from the other side of the glass.

She was coming back to the window, paper in hand as she knelt in front of him, stroking the cat's back. Now that she was closer than before, he could see her better than he ever could hope to. And good god, she was prettier than he expected. She smiled shyly as she held up the paper to the window for him to read. He squinted as he leaned forward, then broke into the biggest grin that he had in two weeks, laughing delightedly as he nodded at her.

' _I assume that this is your cat, so whenever you're done, come to 609 so we can talk?_ '


	2. Clarify

Levy shifted nervously as she picked at an invisible speck of dust on her dress, glancing at herself in the mirror for the umpteenth time. ' _Oh come on, Levy, it's not your first time going on a date with him_ ,' she thought, leaning close to inspect her make up for hopefully the last time.

Indeed, it was far from her first date with the tall, handsome window washer, but lately she was finding it increasingly difficult to compose herself around him, flubbing sentences whenever he flashed that smile at her. The full conversations they'd have would dissolve into flustered babble and blushes as she'd tried to wave off the shyness, mumbling awkwardly as he laughed. It was his fault, really. Teasing her in the most irritable ways but soothing her with quiet words that made her heart race.

She hadn't known what to expect at first when he showed up on her doorstep that day, panting hard from running up all the stairs. Behind her, the little black kitty she had found on the streets just the day before squawked sheepishly (or did it sound more smug?), stretching out on her floor purring.

"S-sorry to bother ya," he mumbled, scratching the back of his neck awkwardly. She beamed at him, shaking her head and motioning for him to step inside. He hesitated, biting his lip before taking a hesitant step across the threshold. His eyes flit around before landing on the cat, and his blush turned into a scowl as he crossed his arms and huffed, glaring at the feline as he flipped onto his back, paws in the air.

"I found him yesterday," Levy said, cocking her head to watch him in amusement as he glanced at her, then stomped towards the cat, squatting down to poke the cat in the belly. A black paw flashed out, nearly catching the offending finger as the cat flipped right side up, rubbing against his thigh.

"Thanks for taking him in," he said, turning to look at her. She nearly sucked in her breath; his eyes were glistening with tears as he picked the purring cat up, cuddling him close. "The little asshole must've snuck out somehow, I've been looking for him for weeks now." He deftly ducked a paw aimed for his face, glaring at the cat before squeezing him close. "Hope he wasn't too much of an ass to ya. He's a bit of a wildcat, but a cool one."

She giggled, shrugging her shoulders and shaking her head. "Nah, he was a sweetheart when I found him. Followed me home and everything. Kinda hard to picture him as a wild cat though, he's been a near angel." His eyes bugged out, prompting her to burst out laughing at his shocked expression.

"Pantherlily is anything but an angel, lady." He harrumphed, holding the cat out at arm's length to scrutinize the innocent look the feline was giving him.

"It's Levy," she corrected, smiling shyly as he turned his gaze back to her. "And yes, he was."

Maybe it was the way his look of incredulity turned into a brilliant smile, or how his eyes twinkled as he introduced himself, but there was nothing that stopped the heat exploding across her cheeks when he held his hand out to shake hers. Her fingers tingled in his grip, making her heart beat loudly in her ears. Though calloused, his hand was warm and gentle, nothing like she had thought it would feel like. The moment felt like it was lasting forever, that first handshake, and she almost couldn't stop the embarrassed giggles that threatened to escape her. _C'mon girl, get a hold of yourself!_ She berated herself, mentally shaking her head to snap out of it.

She almost felt disappointed when they finally did let go, her hand falling limply at her side. "I guess you need to get him home?" She asked, a bit wistfully as she knelt down next to them to rub the cat's head. He blinked, then sighed, nodding slowly.

"Ah, I would," he said slowly, then turned to her with a small grin. Her heart jumped again, and she cursed the traitorous muscle as her blush returned tenfold. "But I don't got anything to get him home in." He smiled apologetically, scratching the back of his head as his own cheeks began to glow. "I hate to ask ya this, but uh... can you watch him for one more night? I'll have his carrier in the morning ready to go," he was biting his lip anxiously, and it was all she could do to keep herself from flinging her arms around the both of them. She barely knew him, yet here she was, goofily happy just because she was going to see him again. She beamed at him, nodding her head eagerly and nearly crying out her approval.

He chuckled, his laugh low and as unique as he was. He nodded his head as well, clearing his throat as he let Pantherlily go to run through the living room and scurry under the couch.

"There's, ah, somethin else I wanna ask you about," he said, his voice low and nervous sounding. She gulped gently, almost as nervous as she waited. His blush was spreading from his cheeks to his ears, she noticed vaguely, fueling her own. He cleared his throat again, looking at her straight in the eyes. "Do ya, ah wanna go out? With me? As thanks for finding him, of course," he asked, nearly mumbling.

Levy thought her heart would burst out of her chest right then, it was beating so much as he looked away, biting his lip as he waited for her answer. Oh, if only he knew how much she wanted to dance in joy right then. She had been slow to admit it to anybody else, even to herself, but this was something of a dream come true. She never could pluck up enough courage to talk to him while he was swinging in front of her windows, but always had a smile for him whenever he waved at her, taking his time in cleaning the panes of glass.

But this? Him actually asking her out?

"Of course!" She chirped, grabbing his hands happily and startling him. His surprised look gave way for probably the warmest smile she had ever seen him give, and she nearly melted under it.

"Then... how about tomorrow?" He asked, hope lacing his voice. She giggled shyly, humming her agreement. He flashed her another blazing grin, pleased with her answer.

After the first date, she had lost count of how many times he'd pick her up from her apartment, grinning warmly as he'd held out his arm for her to take. He wasn't too much of a traditional date, she discovered, but his charm and humor more than made up for that. But she wasn't picky either, and was just happy to hang out with him.

Then he started kissing her, knocking the air out her lungs as he would hold her close, or lean over her to press his lips against hers. And the strange thing was, she was kissing him right back! She'd cling to his shirt, moaning as she'd pull him as close as she could (and he'd happily oblige her), kissing him in a near desperate manner.

It was the night after their last date when she realized something very important about herself; she was in love with him. And not just a little bit either. She tossed and turned, tangling her sheets as she was entirely consumed by her epiphany. She sighed, slightly annoyed that it had to strike this late at night, but couldn't contain the bubble of happiness threatening to burst every time his smile flashed through her brain.

The buzz from her phone spooked her, jolting her upright and launching herself at the nightstand where it sat. She panted as she unlocked the screen, recovering slightly as the back-light glowed in the darkness. She nearly shrieked again as the text icon popped up, showing his name.

' _Hey, I got something I wanna tell ya, but in person_ ,' read the text, and she giggled, rolling her eyes as she flopped back onto her pillows. Her phone buzzed again.

' _Tomorrow I'm taking you somewhere fancy, so dress up!_ '

She blinked, surprised. They never did anything too fancy, at least by their standards. What on earth was he up to?

It appeared that she'd have to wait to discover that, she found. He'd only replied with a "goodnight" and a winky face, leaving her to even more restlessness as her imagination went haywire. ' _Hmph_ ,' she thought, half grumpily as she hugged her pillow close. ' _Two can play at that game!_ '

The idea to confess didn't hit her till the sun was beginning to peek through her curtains, making her too nervous to try sleeping anymore. But she couldn't help the excitement as the day crawled on, making her antsy for the time when he'd drop by to pick her up. And she did dress nice; she was planning to knock him off his toes with her new look.

A tap on the door made her heart jump, and her palms were becoming clammy from nervous excitement. He was a bit early, she mused as she reached for the door. She bit her lip gently, forgetting the lipstick as she peeked out, nearly forgetting to breath when she saw him.

He was holding flowers.

He was wearing a suit, and a nice one at that.

He was staring at her as well, but recovered faster than she could right then, clearing his throat as he blushed.

"Ya ready?" He asked, smiling warmly. She nodded dumbly, taking the flowers as he held them out for her. Roses, they were red roses, her brain dimly told her. Roses meant one thing, and it was taking her an unimaginable amount of time to process that he was giving her roses of all things. She almost wanted to cry, it didn't seem real.

"Lev, you ok?" He asked, and she blushed profusely, embarrassed that he'd noticed her shock. She nodded, turning to him and hugging the bouquet softly.

"Yeah," she breathed, returning his smile with her own. "I'm perfect."


End file.
